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Pushup question regarding fatigue

Jayhawk85

New Member
I leave for OCS in five weeks, and have been largely concentrating on circuit training and running. I can pump out like 65 pushups but I would like to increase this before I go because it is the only weak part of my PRT. I am going to start doing my max on the hour all day as some on the board have prescribed. I was just wondering if I should only do this 3-4 times a week or if it is more beneficial to do it 5-6 days a week. Will doing this routine 5-6 days a week reduce the benefits I get due to muscle fatigue?

Thanks in advance.
 
Did you have any problem getting selected with so few pushups? I do about the same amount and my OR said I should be at 80, not 60.
 

Picaroon

Helos
pilot
Did you have any problem getting selected with so few pushups? I do about the same amount and my OR said I should be at 80, not 60.
I didn't even do my PRT until after my pro-rec. It doesn't really factor in. That 80 is probably just a good number to be able to do, especially when you're reporting.
 

Spekkio

He bowls overhand.
One of the things that helped me bring my 75 PU to 95 PU at OCS was the ability to stay in the PU position for a long period of time and not get tired. In other words, "resting" in the up position actually became rest. Prior to OCS, I would just bang out as many pushups as possible and then just collapse once I was done.

So what to do? Practice actually holding yourself in the pushup position after your max...so you do your 65, then hold yourself in the pushup position for the next 30 seconds or so. If you can do more PU, great. If not, then at least maintaining that position will build some endurance to increase your level.

Or you could bear crawl, but that just looks silly.

Btw, 65 PU is plenty.

Hope that helps.
 

LazersGoPEWPEW

4500rpm
Contributor
Did you have any problem getting selected with so few pushups? I do about the same amount and my OR said I should be at 80, not 60.

I got Pro-Rec'd having only done 55 PU. I don't think it really matters that much in the way they select. PRT was the weakest part of my package.
 

picklesuit

Dirty Hinge
pilot
Contributor
PRT is just a checkmark for Navy OCS.

Agreed...I went in as a lazy toob-slug and banged out a whopping 42 on the in-PRT...was the weakest guy in class...and still managed to graduate OCS (I even got the shiny nametag that said PT when I was there!!)

The suggestion about holding the "up" position is a great one...you will do that a lot in OCS...practice holding the up position for situps as well...that kicked the hell out of me.
 

Jayhawk85

New Member
Well I guess it didn't really affect my pro-rec. I think it was because I did so well on the run that it knocked me up the the level above "Good-High" for overall score (Excellent low maybe?). My OR told because I was going for SNA I should try to beat the minimums, but also me that all that mattered was that I passed it.
 

Stearmann4

I'm here for the Jeeehawd!
None
Jayhawk,

I highly recommend the Crossfit workout which will bring up push ups (as well as everything else), but it's takes several weeks to really adjust to the program.

Another option for shorter term results is an upper body "pyramid"
M/W/F
1 pull-up, 2 push-ups, 2 dips
30 second rest
2 pull-ups,4 push-ups, 4 dips
30 second rest
3 pull-ups,6 push-ups, 6 dips

Etc, up to 10 pull-ups and then go back down the pyramid to one pullup, 2 push-ups, 2 dips, etc.
- Extend your rest periods to a minute if you need to but don't skimp on the repetitions, even if you have to do a couple of pull-ups, wait a few seconds and do a few more. You stamina will build in a couple of weeks.

The premise is most people can't do almost a hundred or so push-ups or 55 pull-ups, but by doing them in small increments you tear down the muscle fibers without fatiguing so fast.

So you ony want to build push-ups? you really can't isolate one muscle group since they all support eachother in your movements. You're entire upper body will benefit.

The downside: you can plateau in a couple of months both mentally and physically and you'll have to find a new workout. Crossfit excels at this becaise the workouts are never the same.

Anyway, I used this for my BUD/S students and it worked well. I also did the program myself for several years progressing to using a weight belt for the pull-ups and dips.

Mike-
 
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